The tradition of charcuterie springs from Old World Europe, but it dovetails nicely with Louisiana food lovers, who have savored cured and smoked meats for generations. In the last few years, more restaurants, including City Pork Brasserie & Bar, Tallulah and Blend are preparing in-house charcuterie boards, giving patrons varied options for flavorful nibbling.
One of the originators of the local charcuterie wave is 18 Steak at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel, where Chef Jared Tees spends lots of time converting locally raised raw materials—namely heritage pork and duck—into classic terrines, sausages, pâtés and more.
“Sourcing the ingredients and having an appreciation of them is something I pass on to all the chefs here,” Tees says. “These dishes take a lot of time and are made with layers of love. These are time-honored methods and techniques.”
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The casino’s fine dining restaurant has been making its own charcuterie since the complex opened in Baton Rouge in September 2012. Tees, who came on board in 2014, has continued to add to the charcuterie board of fare, which is offered to diners in large and small sizes (large is pictured on the opposite page). In the last few weeks, he’s added pied du cochon—pigs’ feet cooked in court bouillon, then formed into cakes.
“It’s exciting when the trotters (pigs’ feet) come through the door and the staff is instructed on how to make the most of this incredible ingredient,” he says.
The charcuterie boards can include house-made chaurice, a Creole take on Spanish chorizo, ballotine, a traditionally deboned leg of poultry stuffed with meat, smoked and fresh cheeses, tasso, pâté de campagne, seasonal smoked sausages, Andouille, foie gras, terrines and rillettes of Berkshire pork, in which the meat is cooked in fat, pounded to a paste, potted and served cold.
18 Steak makes its own accompaniments as well, including stone-ground and brown mustards, fruit compotes, five-seed lahvosh (Armenian cracker bread) and classic French bread.
“We’re taking fresh pork and poultry, and transforming it into something special,” Tees says. “It’s keeping our cooks and chefs excited.”
Diners, too.
ON THE BOARD
Check out what’s included on a typical charcuterie board at 18 Steak:
Where to try charcuterie in Baton Rouge:
Tallulah in the Renaissance Hotel
tallulahrestaurant.com
Blend
blendbr.com
City Pork Deli & Charcuterie and
City Pork Brasserie & Bar
cityporkdeli.com
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Bin 77
bin77.com
18 Steak in L’Auberge Casino & Hotel
lbatonrouge.com